Book Review: More Lovely Knitted Lace

Brooke Nico is skilled at taking simple shapes and reinterpreting them in the framework of lace knitting projects. Her books Lovely Knitted Lace and More Lovely Knitted Lace start with basic geometric shapes, add lace and turn them into shawls, tops, cowls and other garments.

The basic format of both books is much the same, involving four basic shapes converted into 16 projects. Both books use rectangles, squares, triangles and circles as their starting point, but that doesn’t mean the books are repetitive; there’s lots to do within these shapes to make them interesting. (Check out the projects for the original and the new book on Ravelry.)

The books both cover the basic skills you need to know in order to complete the projects, from her favorite cast on (the knit cast on) to how to make yarn overs in different situations, make nupps and short rows and bind off. I’m a little surprised there’s nothing about blocking here; she mentions it but doesn’t explain how to do it.

There are lots of really lovely patterns in here. A few that I would love to knit include the Arbor Triangular Shawl, worked in medium weight yarn with diamond and leaf patterns; the Montauk Sweater, a basic top-down raglan with a bit of lace on the raglan seams, down the sides and at the cuffs and turtleneck; and the Troika Wrap, a wavy lace rectangle that can be worn as a shrug, scarf or cowl.

I’d swear there’s a picture in the introduction of a design that isn’t in the book, but these are pretty patterns using a variety of yarn weights, amounts of lace and shaping techniques. The patterns for the lace are written out and charted, so it’s great for newer lace knitters or others intimidated by charts.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 16 patterns, no skill level given (garments that are sized offer three or six options). Published April 2016 by Lark Books. Suggested retail $19.95.

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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